Reply To: ’56 RDE-18 doesn’t want to start

[Don]

Yes, it is perfectly normal for the starter pinion to stay engaged when cranking with no plugs installed. It is the kick of the engine or compression that bounces the pinion out of the flywheel…Be careful with the starter motor, it may be a 6 volt starter…Using 12 volts for quick cranks is OK, but extended cranking with a 12 volt battery will kill it.
What type of puller are you using? Is it the OMC puller? Those flywheels are tough to get off, using some other puller is bound to cause trouble and make removal more difficult. Yes, you will need to get that broken bolt removed before attempting to remove the flywheel again…
I don’t want you to pull that flywheel off just on a hunch, please confirm you have weak/no spark before getting in there again. Sometimes those inline neon spark testers are handy to check spark while cranking/running…
The flywheel must be properly torqued or you will shear the key which will kill the spark and make flywheel removal even more difficult..